Sliding door, gate, or partition



Feb. 7, 1933.

Feb. 7, 1933. l- M. KIRKPATRICK 1,896,748

SLIDING DOOR, GATE, OR PARTITION Filed May 29, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb- 7, 1933. J. M KIRKPATRICK 1,896,748

SLIDING DOOR, GATE, OR PARTITION Filed May 29,A 1951 4 sheets-sheet Q Feb- 7, 1933. .1. M. KIRKPATRICK SLIDING DOOR, GATE, OR PARTITION Filed May 29, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 In zfenor Jaw hf, /WYQM Patented Feb. '-7, '1933i i i Y UNITED. STATES PATENT Vorifice' JAMES MILLER KIRKPATRICK, OF LONDON, ENGLAND SLIDING Doon, GATE, on PARTITION Application :filed May 29, 1931, Serial No. 540,883, and nl Great Britain .Tune 7, 1930.

rlhis invention relates to sliding doors, of the picketsin the event of the door or gates, partitions or the like constructed of gate being snatched. Y l

parts connected together and mounted so One construction of a lift gate in accordfr that the doors or the like will slide round a ancel with the invention will now be dei small curve on being opened or closed.v scribed with reference tothe accompanying More particularly the invention relates to drawings in which Figure 1 is a front elegates or doors of the grille type as used on vation `of the assembled parts with the liftfhoist-,or elevator cars or vcages or on springs 'in' position7 Figure 2 is a plan of pF. tramway or the like transport vehicles, and the assembled parts, Figure V3 is a Vfront eleconsists of a plurality of vertical members vation and Figure a is aside elevation of the G0 .assembled together and supported on roll-k two end, or forward, pickets, Figure 5 is a ers adapted to run on' Va track having a front elevation and Figure 6 is a side eleva- Y curved portion. tion of the other two end, or rearward, pick- "In a sliding gate or the like of the kind ets, and Figures 7' and Spare front andfside specified and in accordance with the present elevations of a picket provided with castinvention, Vthe vertical bars are held together ings, i. e. male castingsgwhich, inconjuncby means of one or more coiled springs, tion with `those showncorrespondingly in which may be combined with means for turn- Figures 9.and i. e.; female castings, coning the supporting rollers as they pass from stitute the means of articulation of the pick- 2Q.the straight to the curvedy portion of the ets, and Figure'll is an enlarged view of a 70 track, and vice versa, in correct alignment detail. 1 withthe track. f The gate isY constructed of a plurality of The door, gate or the like comprises vver-v vertical pickets, such as 11, arranged side'-by- ,7. tical rods or pickets each formed' with a side and consisting of lengths of metal to be zo rope or the like maybe placed within the provided with a handle 21, (if the gate is to horizontal aperture or apertures through joined together by metal castings, such as 12, 75, which is passed a coiled spring or springs@v and 13 which are spaced along each alterwhilst each aperture-has a straight side and natepicket at equal intervals. The castings a curved side, said curved side being formedV 12, 1-3 `are of two shapes, the'one 12, being Y. towards the `inner side of' the curvebf the a female casting and the lother 13,*being a track. A male casting, so thatby arranging pickets Selectedv pickets are each provided with with female castings 12,' alternately with a bracket, rigidly attachedv thereto, which pickets provided with male. castings 13 an is arranged to carry a roller,i and the aperarticulated connection between the pickets 11 ture or aperturesinthe pickets, or prefer isobtained, and the pickets are permitted to mounted thereon, are formed withv a castings 12, l3is formed with a horizontal straight side and a curvedlsidein ahorizon-` aperture 14, having a straight side 15 vand a tal plane, the straight side being parallel curved side 16. At the upper end of, say, 4 to the roller.A The verticalV bars or pickets everyfourth picket (see Figure 1) there is are arranged side by side in an articulated secured to the casting V( 12 or 13 depending manner anda Vcoiledl spring or springs is or on the initial disposition thereof) a bracket areprovided to Vpass horizontally through 17 carrying a roller 18 adapted to run on the theV apertures in thel members A(castings) track 19. rI`he straight side 1.5 of the apermounted on said bars or pickets, said spring ture 14 in each of the castings 12, 13 is aror springs being attached, if desired, to ranged to `be` parallel to a diametrical aXis members at the opposite sides of the door or of the roller 18. Preferably thetwo end, or gate, meansfbeing provided for adjusting forward'pickets are connected together bya the tension of the springs, whilst a flexible bracket' 2O "(see Figures 3 andV 4) andV are u coiled spring to prevent excessive movement be propelled manually) orare connected with 00 ably formed in members, such as castings, travel freely in a curvedpath. Each of. the Y a sliding bar 22, (if the gate is to be operated mechanically), whilst the two pickets at the Other end ot' the gate, rearward pickets, are connected together (see Figures 5 and 6) to render this portion of the gate more rigid for carrying the bracket 23 supporting the roller 24. Each female and male casting 12 and 13 in the pickets connected together may be provided with buiiers to ensure that the gate shall open silently. The upper and lower ends ot the pickets l1 may be provided with pins or projections 26, 27 arranged to slide in grooves 28, 29 formed in the upper and lower frameworks 30, 31 respectively.

Passing through the apertures 14 are coiled springs 32, connected at their forward ends (see Figures 3 and 4') with means, e. g. a set-screw 33, for adjust-ing the tension of the springs and connected at their other ends i. e. their rearward ends (see Figures 5 and 6) with similar means 34.

In order to prevent excessive opening ot the pickets when the gate is snatched, flexible ropes 35 may be provided to lie within the coiled springs 32 and be secured at their ends in any convenient manner (see Figure 11).

In operation, when the gate is on the straight part of the track 19, the straight sides 15 of the apertures 14 formed in the female and male castings 12, 13 tend to maintain the rollers 1S in alignment with the track 19, but as soon as the leading roller commences to run on the curved portion of the track, the springs 32 bearing against the curved sides 1G of the apertures 14 formed in the castings 12 and 13 tend to turn that roller and to maintain it still in alignment with the track. Furthermore the reverse operation is performed by the springs 32 when the gate is returning` from the curved to the straight portion of the track 19, so that in all positions of the gate there will be true alignment between each roller and the track.

The number and spacing of the upper carrying rollers may be arranged according to the individual requirements obtaining with any particular sliding door, gate or grille,

\ and will depend upon the height, width,

material, ornamentation and weight thereof.

I claim 1. A sliding door of the kind described comprising a plurality ot vertical pickets and at least one spring extending transversely through openings in all the pickets and secured at its ends to the end pickets to hold the said pickets together.

2. A sliding door of the kind described coinprising a plurality of vertical pickets, a plurality ot rollers for supporting the said pickets, a track formed with a curved portion upon which said rollers run, a spring extending the itull width ot the door and arranged to hold the pickets together and means cooperating with the spring to maintain the rollers in alignment with the track.

3. A sliding door of the kind described comprising a plurality of vertical pickets formed with horizontal apertures, a plurality of rollers for supporting the said pickets, a track formed with a curved portion upon which said rollers run, a coil spring passing through the said horizontal apertures and means for securing the spring to the end pickets so as to hold the pickets together.

4. A sliding door of the kind described comprising a plurality ot rollers, a track formed with a curved portion upon which said rollers run, a plurality of vertical pickets arranged to be supported by the rollers and formed with horizontal apertures, each aperture being toi-med with a curved side and a straight side and the curved side being arranged to lie towards the inner side of the curve of the track, and a coiled spring passing through the said apertures and having its ends secured to the end pickets so as to hold the pickets together.

5. A sliding door of the kind described comprising a plurality of vertical pickets formed with horizontal apertures, a coiled spring passing through the said aperturers and secured to the end pickets so as to hold the pickets together, a plurality of rollers, a track formed with a curved portion upon which said rollers run to support the pickets andv means cooperating with the pickets for preventing the pickets from moving apart to too great an extent in the event of sudden movement of the gate.

6. A sliding door of 'the kind described comprising a plurality of vertical pickets formed with horizontal apertures, a plurality of rollers for supporting the pickets, on a track formed with a curved portion upon which said rollers run, a coiled spring passing through the apertures and connected at one end to the iirst picket and at the other end to the last picket, means for adjusting the tension of the spring and a flexible rope passing aXially through the coiled spring and having its ends secured so as to limit the eX- tension of the said spring.

7. In or for use in a sliding door of the kind described a picket formed with a horizontal aperture having a straight and a curved side, a bracket attached rigidly to the end ot the picket and a roller carried by the bracket and adapted to run on an overhead track, the straight side of the aperture being normal to the aXis of the roller.

JAMES MILLER KIRKPATRICK. 

